For expanding its enforcement footprint, raking in over ₦10 billion in consumer refunds, and showing exceptional regulatory courage by imposing a $22 million fine on Meta Platforms for exploitative data practices—upheld by the CCPT at $220 million—the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) is the LEADERSHIP Government Agency of the Year 2025.
Under the leadership of Mr Tunji Bello, the Commission has evolved into one of Nigeria’s most dynamic and fearless regulatory institutions, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to fairness, accountability, and market integrity. In a short time, Bello has repositioned the FCCPCas a frontline defender of consumer trust and a strong deterrent against corporate misconduct in both traditional and digital markets.
Through its Complaint Resolution Framework, the FCCPC has efficiently handled thousands of consumer grievances nationwide, ensuring swift and transparent redress. Its Consumer Complaints Portal has become a model of responsiveness and efficiency; it is recognised by stakeholders as one of the most user-friendly consumer redress mechanisms in Africa. The portal now processes thousands of complaints monthly, ranging from banking and telecommunications disputes to digital commerce and logistics issues. Response time significantly reduced under Bello’s leadership.
The Commission’s recent Consumer Complaints Data Report (March–August 2025) revealed systemic lapses in digital financial transactions, prompting strategic engagement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that led to the introduction of a draft guideline mandating banks to refund failed ATM transactions within 48 hours. The FCCPC publicly commended the move, describing it as a decisive milestone in Nigeria’s consumer protection landscape and a direct outcome of sustained advocacy and data-driven regulatory cooperation.
Equally transformative is the FCCPC’s intensified crackdown on unethical digital money lenders popularly known as loan sharks. Through its landmark Digital, Electronic, Online, or Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025, gazetted in July 2025, the Commission has moved to sanitise Nigeria’s fast-growing digital lending ecosystem. These regulations mandate all lending platforms to register with the Commission within 90 days, comply with ethical lending standards, and uphold strict data privacy rules. They also outlaw coercive debt-recovery tactics, misleading advertising, and unauthorised data sharing.
Under these rules, violators now face fines of up to ₦100 million or one per cent of annual turnover, whichever is higher, while directors of erring companies risk disqualification from serving in any registered entity for up to five years. Since 2023, the FCCPC enforcement drive has led to the shutdown of over 50 illegal loan apps, while more than 100 operators have regularised their status under the Commission’s Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework (LIRR). The 2025 regulations now consolidate that framework into enforceable law, empowering the FCCPC to sanction, delist, or prosecute non-compliant firms.
Regulators across Africa have since cited these reforms as among the continent’s most progressive digital-finance consumer protection measures, aligning Nigeria’s fintech space with global best practices and protecting millions of vulnerable borrowers from exploitation.
Beyond digital finance, the FCCPC has expanded its enforcement activities into other sensitive consumer sectors. In the telecommunications industry, it has intervened in cases of unjustified tariff increases and service failures, ensuring that operators do not exploit consumers under the guise of inflation or foreign-exchange volatility. In the aviation sector, the Commission has investigated airlines for flight delays, cancellations, and non-refund of fares, compelling improved transparency in pricing and compensation mechanisms for passengers.
In the electricity sector, the FCCPC has acted decisively against arbitrary billing and unauthorised charges. The Commission has compelled distribution companies to halt attempts to pass the cost of faulty meter replacements to consumers, while actively collaborating with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to improve complaint-resolution processes for overbilled households.
The Commission has also stepped up its market monitoring operations to combat price manipulation, hoarding, and unfair trade practices. Through its Joint Market Monitoring Taskforce (JMMT) launched in June 2025, the FCCPC has expanded surveillance of major food and commodity markets, uncovering warehouses hoarding essential goods to create artificial scarcity. These interventions have curbed profiteering, stabilised consumer prices, and protected low-income households from predatory practices.
Under Mr Bello, the FCCPC has also made consumer education and policy engagement a national priority. The Commission has conducted sensitisation campaigns in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Uyo, empowering consumers with information on their rights under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) of 2018. It has also deepened inter-agency collaboration with the CBN, NITDA, NCC, and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to strengthen consumer redress frameworks, foster competition and harmonise market-surveillance mechanisms.
In its ongoing drive to promote fair market competition, the FCCPC has revived dormant investigations into anti-competitive conduct in critical sectors, including cement, aviation, and manufacturing, ensuring that no dominant player can abuse market power or engage in price-fixing to the detriment of consumers.
The Commission’s institutional reforms have also enhanced efficiency, accountability, and digital transparency. It has adopted modern case-tracking tools, introduced e-reporting channels, and expanded its regional presence to ensure greater accessibility nationwide.
These achievements have earned the Commission widespread respect, both domestically and internationally. Multilateral institutions including the World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the African Consumer Protection Forum (ACPF) have cited the FCCPC’s enforcement model as a reference point for emerging economies seeking to integrate consumer protection into broader economic governance.
Through these far-reaching reforms — from landmark court victories and digital finance regulation to market oversight and institutional renewal — the FCCPC has solidified its position as one of Nigeria’s most effective public institutions.
Under Mr Tunji Bello’s leadership, the Commission’s achievements stand as a testament to effective governance, bold enforcement, and the relentless pursuit of fairness — values that continue to fortify Nigeria’s economy, strengthen market confidence, and empower millions of citizens across the country.
